Allardyce on air as Bolton stay up

Bolton 2

Goals from Per Frandsen and Jay-Jay Okocha put them in the driving seat against Middlesbrough at the Reebok Stadium.

However, Bolton were forced to endure a tense and nervous last half-hour after former striker Michael Ricketts pulled a goal back.

With West Ham only securing a point, Bolton got the result they wanted and will stay in the top flight for a third successive season.

Allardyce, clutching a bottle of beer, said: "I am completely drained, emotionally unstable, absolutely delighted and so relieved. The world has been lifted off of my shoulders and I am floating about six feet off the ground.

"It's been a very hard week for myself and the staff. I have been an absolute gorilla around the place and people have been keeping their distance from me.

"But the players have been relaxed and in the right frame of mind to achieve what they needed to achieve.

"People talk about dogs of wars and things like that when teams are fighting at the bottom but we have never been like that. We have been playing our way out, certainly since December.

"I am just glad for the players and the supporters that they have done it themselves. They have done it with a bit of style and we scored two wonderful goals today.

"But as always there is a twist in the tail with Ricketts coming on and scoring. That unsettled us, our passing went astray.

"Nerves began to jangle but we put some fresh legs on and that proved crucial."

The 2-1 victory meant Bolton finished with 44 points four more than last year.

Allardyce said: "For this club to stay in the top flight for the third time on the trot means you go back into the archives and blow the cobwebs off the books to find the last time they did it."

Middlesbrough finished with 10 men after defender Franck Queudrue was red-carded for a wild lunge on Ivan Campo.

Manager Steve McClaren said: "It was always going to be a difficult game and we didn't help ourselves by giving them two goals.

"We improved in the second half, made some changes and got a goal back.

"The sending-off changed the game again and from where I was it looked very harsh."

BOLTON: Jaaskelainen, N'Gotty, Bergsson, Whitlow, Gardner, Mendy (Nolan 72), Frandsen, Campo, Okocha, Djorkaeff (Charlton 89), Pedersen (Andre 66).

MIDDLESBROUGH: Schwarzer, Parnaby, Riggott, Southgate, Queudrue, Greening (Ricketts 45), Boateng, Wilkshire, Juninho Paulista, Maccarone (Doriva 45), Christie (Downing 45).

Referee: R Styles (Hampshire).